Immigration reform has always been tough, and rarely happens in election years - 4 things to know
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
In early February 2024, a group of senators proposed new immigration legislation that would have slowed the migrant influx at the border.
Key Points:
- In early February 2024, a group of senators proposed new immigration legislation that would have slowed the migrant influx at the border.
- This is far from the first time that Democrats and Republicans have failed to pass legislation that was intended to improve the country’s immigration system.
- Here are four key reasons why meaningful immigration policy change has been so difficult to achieve – and why it remains a pipe dream:
1. Immigration reform has always been hard
- The U.S. has faced major roadblocks every time it has tried to achieve immigration reform.
- The final bipartisan bargain removed racist quotas but appeased those who wanted to restrict immigration by prioritizing new immigrants’ connections to family already in the country – a preference that lawmakers thought would favor Europeans.
- The last big immigration reform happened in 1986, when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
2. The US is more polarized on immigration than ever before
- But partisan and ideological polarization over border control and immigrants’ rights is greater today than any other time.
- Over the past 20 years, Democratic and Republican voters and politicians alike became more firmly aligned with rival pro- and anti-immigration rights movements.
- In 2008, 46% of Republicans and 39% of Democrats said they thought immigration to the U.S. should be decreased.
- In 2023, GOP support for decreased immigration soared to 73%, compared with just 18% of Democrats who said they wanted that.
3. There’s little bipartisan agreement over what the problem actually is
- Yet different political groups cannot agree on what exactly is wrong and how to solve it.
- For some Republicans, including former Trump, the problem is lax border control and permissive policies that allow dangerous migrants to enter and stay in the country.
- Right-wing politicians and commentators, like Tucker Carlson, have exploited these anxieties, warning that large-scale immigration will “replace” white Americans.
- There are also conservatives who think immigration is consistent with the principles of individual liberty, entrepreneurship and national economic growth.
4. Immigration reform is especially messy in a presidential election year
- Presidential election years are fertile ground for politicking on immigrants and borders, but not lasting policy reform.
- In 2021, President Joe Biden and his supporters introduced an immigration bill that would offer a pathway to legal residency for nearly all undocumented immigrants.
- Now, Biden finds himself underwater with voters, including Democrats, on immigration and the perceived chaos at the border.
Daniel Tichenor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.